Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Use Restrictions

See the University of Virginia Library’s use policy.

Preferred Citation

Papers of William Allison Kepner, Accession #4538-f, Special Collections Dept., University of Virginia Library, Charlottesville, Va.

Acquisition Information

This collection was presented to the University on February 18, 1976 by Perry N. Jester, 1528-A Cherry Avenue, Charlottesville, Virginia.

Biographical/Historical Information

William Allison Kepner [1875-1971] was born in Franklin County, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Gettysburg Academy in 1894 and earned his B.A. in 1898 and his M.A. in 1900 from Franklin and Marshall College. Kepner served as a fellow at the University of Gottingen in the summer of 1903 and at Princeton University during the academic year of 1903-1904. In 1908 he was awarded his Ph.D. in biology at the University of Virginia.

Kepner's teaching career in the Biology Department at the University of Virginia spanned the years 1904 until his retirement in 1946. A gifted lecturer and perenially one of the University's most popular professors, Kepner was also a prodigious scholar. A member of leading scientific societies and organizations, he published over 60 articles in scholarly journals and co-authored, with Uric Dahlgren, The Principles of Animal Histology, which remains a leading textbook in that field.

Scope and Content Information

The William Allison Kepner Collection consists of approximately 900 items spanning the years (1946)1963-1975. Included in the collection of the late biologist are a carbon copy, original drawings, prints, and correspondence relating to the possible publication of Kepner's unpublished manuscript, "The Awareness of Life." In addition, there is a testimonial, published in 1946 and edited by Bruce D. Reynolds, William Allison Kepner: Teacher, Scientist, Philosopher.

Organization

The carbon copy of the manuscript "The Awareness of Life" is followed by correspondence concerning its possible publication, arranged chronologically and covering the period 1963-1975. The original drawings and prints follow the correspondence.